Locomotive and tender connection



Jan. 30, 1923.

R T FLETCHER LocoNonvE AND TENDER CONNECTION.

FILED JULY 3| 1922.

Patented dan. '30, 1923.

ROSCIOE T. FLETCHER, OE NEEDLES, CALIFORNIA.

LOCOMOTIVE'AND TENDER CONNECTION.

Application filed July 3, 1922. Serial No. 572,557.

lle it known that I.` Roscoe T. FLETCHER, a citizen ot' the United States, residing at Needles. in the county ot' San Bernardino and State of California` have invented cerelements ot the connection caused by wear of said parts. More particularly, the object of the invention is to provide a wear compensating device that may be readily incorporated in locomotives and tenders now in general use without the necessity of making any radical changes in the present. construction ot' the draft or bumper castings ot the locomotive and tender and without atfecting, in any manner, the perfect func-tioning of the connection.

A further object is to provide means for automatically compensating for the wear on the several parts of the connection.`

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will hereinafter be fully c scribed and the novel features thereof particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a horizontal, sectional view of the connection forming the subject matter of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a detail view of a modified form of wedge and its operating screw for taking up looseness in the connection.

As illustrated in the drawings, the bumper block yoke which is mounted' on the frame of the locomotive or tender by any suitable fastening means, is of the usual construction now in general use and has a rectangular housing 10 projecting inwardly from its rear wall 11 for the several elements of the connection. Extending into the housing 10 is the draw bar 12 having its end pivoted within said housing on the draw bar pivot pin 13 secured in the housing. The inner end of said draw bar abuts against the chating block 14 and in the present instance the contactingr faces ot' said draw bar and chafing block are sphcrically shaped-that is, they are each curved transversely and vertically-to allow universal movement of the draw bar on pin 13, as shown in dotted lilies in Figs. .l and 2.

For the purpose of compensating for wear on the rubbing faces of the draw bar and chafing block, a transversely slidable wedge 15 is interposed between the chafing block 14 and the bumper block 16 which is mounted within the housing 10 and which is positioned firmly against the rear wall 11 of the bumper block yoke. The contacting faces of the wedge and one of said blocks, prei'- erably the bumper block 16`v are inclined transversely of housing 1() and as will be apparent movement of said wedge inwardly between the two blocks will result in the separation of the latter and the taking up of any looseness caused by wear between the several parts.

A convenient arrangement for accommodating these wear compensating elements, i. e., the chating block the wedge and the bumper block, to the bumper block yoke housing 10. regardless of the size of the latter, guide blocks 17 are mounted within the housing between the sides thereof and the sides of chang block 14 and a liner 18 is placed beneath the chaing block, bumper block and wedge to maintain all of said members in horizontal alinement with the draw bar 12. If desired an aperture 19 mav be formed in thehousing 10 tor supplying lubricant to the rubbing surfaces of the draw bar and chafing block.

For convenience in actuating the wedge 15, an adjusting screw 20 extending through the side wall of housing 10 has an enlarged head 21 within the housing adapted to engage the wedge and an angularly shaped end 22 on the exterior ot` the housing for application ot' a suitable operating instrument. With such a construction, the wedge 15 is positively forced in between the two blocks by manually rotating screw 20. An alternate, and probably more convenient, torm ofw'edge adjusting screw is shown in Fig. 3 wherein the screw 23 is formed with a collar 24 adjacent its inner end and the enlarged head is dispensed with and a relatively strong coil spring 25 surrounding the inner end portion of the screw interposed between said collar 24 and the wedge 15. With this Gli form of adjusting screw, the spring 25 is initially placedunder compression by operating the screw after which any wear on the parts will be automatically taken up. or compensated for by the Wedge being forced inwardly between the chafing and bum er blocks by the spring. lAfter the wedge as moved inwardly to such an extent that the spring is inactive, said spring may be again placed under compression by propermanipulation of the screw.

Breakage of the adjustin screw for wedge 15 frequently occurs whi e the locomotive and tender are in use and for this reason auxiliary means are .provided for retaining said wedge in any one of the positions to which it. may be adjusted. Such auxiliary retaining means consist of a series` of holes 26 in the wedge adapted to register with one or more holes 27 in'the top of housing 10 and4 adapted to receive a removable pin 28- extending down through the apertures 27 in the housing.y It will be understood that` pin 28 is notv used under normal conditions but, on the contrary, is removed as long as the wedge is to be operated by the screw. Otherwise, pin 28 would lock the wedge against movement by the adjusting screw.

What is claimed is:-

l. In a locomotive and tender connection, the combination with the draw bar pivot pin and draw bar pivoted thereon, said drawbar having a spherically curved end, of a movable chaing block, one face of said blockhaving a surface conforming to and abutting the end face of the draw bar, a bumper.

oke, an'd a screw operated wed e interposed' 'chan block and draw bar being spherically shape to allow universal movement of the draw bar, a bumper block mounted in the yoke, a screw operated wedge interposed be tween the chafing block and bumper block, auxiliar means for holding the wed e in adjusts position, and means for ho ding said wedge, blocks and draw bar in alinement.

4. In a locomotive and tender connection, the combination with the bumper block yoke, the draw bar pin mounted in the yoke and the draw bar pivoted on said pin, of a chafing block-movably mounted in said yoke and abutting the end of the draw bar, a

bumper block mounted in the yoke, and a movable wedge mounted in between the chafing block and bumper block, there being cooperating apertures in said wedge and yoke, and a removable pin adapted to be received in said apertures.

5. In a locomotive and tender connection,Y

the combination with the pivotally mounted draw bar, of a bumper block, a chaling block spaced from the bumper block and. abutting the draw bar, a slidable wedge interposed between said blocks, and means for automatic'ally actuating said wedge to compensate for wear on the draw bar and chating block.

6.` In a locomotive and tender connection, the combination with the pivotally mounted draw bar, of a bumper block yoke, a chafing block in said -yoke and abutting the draw bar, a bumper block mounted in the yoke, a

slidable wedge interposed between said blocks, a spring for urging said wedge between said blocks, and means for maintaining said spring under compression.

y ROSCOE T. FLETCHER.

als 

